Album Review by EDF
Ah, ‘tis the season for compilation albums and if the record companies are, in most cases, not found flogging the back catalogue of a has been who is finding it hard to reach the Top Ten, then it’s the various artists’ albums that would also be staring back at you from the music racks. In the year of our Lord 2001, it seems to be open season on the chill-out album. There are so many out there right now to choose from, the average customer would probably get stressed out about which one to buy. Well, it seems like somebody in the marketing department was using their brain for once. So, why buy one?
In the mad, fast-paced world we live in, to come home and unwind from the pressures of everyday life is not as easy as it sounds. Those good people, better known as the record company, know what will help you to unwind and in this case the Echo label invites you to their KARMA LOUNGE.
After a stressful day, I tested out this album to see if it would help me unwind. Starting off the first CD is MORCHEEBA – World Looking In, followed by JAKATTA and then RUI DE SILVA. While these tracks are already familiar, this sets up nicely for some alternative mixes by artists such as FAITHLESS and MOLOKO. As the first CD continues on, some World Music tunes creep in which gives the mood an interesting twist. For the most part the songs mix well into each other as the chosen tracks make you feel like you were in a pub or a club with some cool music in the background.
Unlike the first CD, which is a lot more upbeat, the second CD offers the listener more of a chill-out experience. Familiar tracks here come courtesy of MOBY, KINOBE, LEFTFIELD and DELERIUM. While this caters more for the ENIGMA crowd, this is definitely relaxing to listen to and CD2 should be experienced with your feet up.
Overall, this is a solid compilation album with a good mix of tracks which people will either be familiar with or not. If you are willing to experiment, then this is the album for you. The other great thing is that the tracks here are not even cheesy enough to be embarrassed about.
A word of warning though, do not listen to this whole set in one go. This compilation has totally chilled me out to such an extent that nothing can stress me out.
Well, almost nothing!
